24 Kisses is a romantic comedy film starring Adith Arun and Hebah Patel in lead roles. V K Naresh and Rao Ramesh appeared in prominent roles. Sanjay Reddy produced the film under the Respect Creations banner. Ayodhya Kumar Krishnamsetty directed the film. 24 Kisses released worldwide on 23 Nov 2018.
24 Kisses Story
Anand (Adith Arun) is a Children’s filmmaker who doesn’t believe in the system of marriage. He has casual relationships with several women but his perception changes when an ordinary girl, Sri Lakshmi (Hebah Patel), falls in love with him. Their love story is told through the kisses they share while exploring the ideology of Anand through his sessions with a psychiatrist. Sri Lakshmi breaks up with him when she learns the truth about him. The problem starts when he realizes his love for her. How he convinces her and her family to approve of their relationship forms the crux of the story.
Story Analysis
24 Kisses has an extremely regular exterior which hides much deeper aspects of the film. The director cleverly chose the psychiatrist track to explore the depth of the story. The social message of providing a nutritious diet to kids start as padding to the story and unconventionally grows to be the theme of the film. This is something difficult to handle as most mainstream movies use the message as subtext, sub-track, core conflict, or as the central theme of the film. The character development is good as there is a distinct personality to every major character. The only weird character in the film is the heroine’s brother who is extremely unrealistic. The conflict is the regular misunderstanding between the couple which takes a turn every time a new aspect of Anand’s personality is revealed.
The central theme of the film is not something new to the Telugu audience. We have seen it earlier in films like Swayamvaram and Orange. But the narration and execution of 24 Kisses are fresh. However, the film appears to be a single long sequence instead of the regular fragmented structure the Telugu audiences are accustomed to. So, some audiences may lose interest at some point and feel bored with the film. Moreover, there are no clear goals in the film. For example, making a film is never an ambitious project for Anand. He struggles for it and is passionate about it. The general audiences consider it a part of his career. But he could have conveyed it as his dream project through dialogue or scenes. Because of this simple flaw, the pre-climax and climax became redundant. Overall, 24 Kisses is a feel-good story that lacks distinct goals except for the unity of lovers.
Performances
Adith Arun is brilliant in his role. He looks like Ram Pothineni in some shots. He excels with a lot of subtlety in emotional scenes. Hebah Patel is good in her role. However, she doesn’t express anger and sadness when it is required in her role. V K Naresh is superb in his role. Rao Ramesh is good in the first half but his character becomes awkward towards the climax.
Technical Analysis
24 Kisses has a good script but it is complex. There are many flaws in the screenplay. The dialogues are philosophic and crisp. The production values are decent. The cinematography is decent but it doesn’t follow the tone of the film. The music is average. The background score is good. The editing is superb. The cross-cutting and scenic order helped a lot with the narration. The direction is brilliant. Ayodhya Kumar Krishnamsetty reminds us of Mani Ratnam during some romantic scenes. He has a distinct voice to narrate the story. His vision and point of view are evident throughout the film.
Conclusion
24 Kisses is a beautiful film with an unconventional blend of romance and social message. It may not appeal to the regular Telugu audiences and many of them may feel bored. However, the film is a brilliant attempt at storytelling.
24 Kisses
Director: Ayodhya Kumar Krishnamsetty
Date Created: 2018-11-23 11:00
2.5
